Empowerment Series: CEO and Founder of Golden Dream Beauty and Beauty Influencer, Ydelays Rodriguez Shares her American Dream with AW

According to a Nielsen report, our beauty and personal care industry grew to $25 billion in the second quarter of 2023 with no signs of slowing down and neither did Ydelays Rodriguez, the CEO and Founder of Golden Dream Beauty. The Venezuelan Influencer has connected with fans, growing her community to 1 million subscribers. The mom and entrepreneur’s YouTube channel has surpassed 60 million views, reflecting the power of her content.

This Latina beauty has been seen in Cosmopolitan, Women’s Health, Refinery 29, Buzzfeed, POPSUGAR, Despierta America, and Hip Latina. The road to success has not been easy but she takes it all in stride while enjoying the learning process of growing her brand. She loves her work and remains passionate about leaving a footprint in the beauty industry and the world.  Her website’s message is “Golden Dream Beauty is My American Dream,” and she has taken her dream from a vision to reality.

AW sat with the dynamo for an interview, where we talked about the journey to creating a brand, the lessons, fears, incorporating her son into her routine, and how she made it all come to life.

You were born and raised in Venezuela then moved to the US in 2012.  You started a YouTube channel to stay in touch with family back home. Afterward, you decide to pivot into sharing beauty tips. Now your videos are seen by millions! You have built a community of over 1 million followers in 10 years. Congratulations! How did you go from having a vision to creating your product? Can you share a bit about how that unfolded? The first time I visited Sephora, it was inspiring to see so many products. During the time I lived in Venezuela, the beauty section was quite limited. From a young age, I felt passionate about beauty but I never saw founders or people who looked like me in the marketing campaigns. It was frustrating because I did not want to look like anyone else. I’ve always been proud of my skin, and curves. All these things got me thinking about creating Golden Dream Beauty. I knew that I wanted to build a space where people could feel seen and represented.

I didn’t speak English when I first arrived in the US. If you watch my early YouTube videos, you will notice, they’re done in Spanish. I worked retail jobs to practice my English and learn how to be a good salesperson.  I wanted to incorporate passion and a solid strategy into my business. It was a big challenge but I love to learn and felt that I was for the task.

The American Dream is elusive to many, it is a long and difficult road. As a small business owner and Latina Founder, what has been the biggest hurdle and hardest lesson to learn, thus far? The hardest lesson to learn was not to stop when doors closed or I heard the word “No.” In the beginning, my thought was”People are going to love the product and say, Yes!” Then, I’d get a”No” and think, what do I do now? So, for me being able to learn acceptance, move forward after rejection, and become stronger and more prepared was life-changing. It has given me the ability to open the doors that I’ve wanted to enter. There were times I needed to redirect, and ask myself”Do I want this or should I take a different route?” It was hard, like all dreamers, you want things to happen the first time. We want it fast, right now but it’s not the way to build a successful business. We are seeing a lot of viral moments on TikTok and other platforms which could offer an amazing boost for sales. However, when you create something with the mentality to be sustainable for a long time, it can be a better way to create a good business or dream.

I love your product, Dream on Mascara! I’ve been trying to use more vegan products, when possible. I read you traveled to Milan with your entire life savings to get this creation off the ground. You took a significant risk! Can you share where your head was during this time? How did you come to your decision? In 2019, I invested all my savings for the first launch then during the pandemic, I developed the mascara. It took me about 2.5 years to come out with everything you are seeing and the products we just launched.  In 2023, I went to Milan to make sure everything was being done, right. Also, as a business owner, I wanted to give transparency. It was important for everyone to feel like they were there with me and be part of the process. Meeting the chemist, who is packing the orders, seeing people behind the scenes doing the work, and learning more were also, key.

I had the pleasure of meeting those working on the product. Our chemist expressed it was the best mascara, she created in her career. It took a long long to make a product that was clean and vegan. It is challenging to find the synthetic products that are also good for you. We don’t want to replace anything with something toxic, a better option is needed and that can get expensive. We want everything that we put on our face and body to be the best quality possible.

It was tough to invest all my savings into my dream but if you don’t believe in yourself, how do you expect others to believe in it? It starts with you. No one is going to come and change your life. You must get up first and try. Doors will open and you will learn so much. All entrepreneurs have a little crazy inside of us. Your idea may or may not work but you are doing it. It’s possible to grow, bet on yourself!

You bet on yourself, taking a chance on this dream. It takes guts to go out on your own. AW has claimed this year as Bigger, Better, Bolder! You are a mom, making moves and I know the journey comes with fears, insecurities, and sometimes doubt and guilt creeps in. What do you do to manage those monsters that we call to have, especially as moms? I make my son part of my routine. For example, if I have to pack orders, I sit him with me to learn about what I do and be proud of it. He enjoys it when we take orders to the post office and knows the name of the company and what we sell and do. As moms, we shouldn’t be too hard on ourselves. I love to focus on one thing at a time. For example, when I am spending quality time with him, there is nothing else. The goal is to separate things. If I feel like I can connect with him on a deeper level every day, make sure he is okay and he understands that I love him then I’m being a good mom.

AW likes to end interviews with a quote, mantra, or piece of advice. For anyone working on their American dream, Latinos fighting to make their footprint in the world. What advice can you share to inspire them to keep going? First, know when to ask for help. Our community is not used to asking for help. We try to put so much on my shoulders. It is something that I learned as recently, as this year. Surround yourself with people that believe in you. Don’t listen to the negative voices, continue to follow your passion. Do what you love and do not give up! Things stop happening the moment you give up.

AW is grateful to Ydelays for sharing her inspiring story with us. We need to have dreams, something to look forward to in life. However, it is not enough to think about the things we want to bring to fruition. Action is the best way to get to achieving dreams but even before all the pieces fall into place. You need a vision of what it is you want.

I am not exactly where I’d like to be, not yet. As an entrepreneur, there are plenty of days that I experience defeat but it only lasts a short while. The purpose is stronger than the wreck. Long ago, I dreamt about this exact moment. So, although, I have not accomplished everything, yet, some of the items on my wish list have materialized. A dream is only as good as its’ creator. Stick to yours, have patience, and believe that you are bigger than any doubts that present themselves.

Ydelays is proof of what is possible in this country. Determination has kept the ship on course and the conviction of her potential made it so that she does not stray too far from the wish planted in her heart to realize her American dream. Now, it is your turn!

Follow Golden Dream Beauty and Ydelays on Instagram, YouTube, and all her socials.